It’s getting close to the time of year when the ghosts and ghouls come out to play and trick or treaters roam our streets in search of tasty treats. Torontonians love Halloween, and the city is blessed with a wide range of family-friendly spooky activities (that are fun for all ages) at this time of year.

Below we’re going to list a few of our favorite Halloween events that are more than worthy of your consideration if you’re in Toronto this time of year.

Let’s get started.

Boo At The ZooToronto Zoo - 2000 Meadowvale RdAs you might have guessed from the name, Boo At The Zoo is a spooky Halloween event that takes place throughout the day at Toronto Zoo. It’s a costume party where you and the kids can get dressed up and have a fun and educational experience together marveling at the many wonderful animals that call the Zoo home. The event runs from October 20th through to October 28th and admission is free for children in costume when accompanied by a paying adult (one free child ticket per paying adult).

Howling HootenannyBlack Creek Pioneer Village - 1000 Murray Ross PkwyThe Howling Hootenanny is located in the north west of Toronto at Black Creek Pioneer Village – and it’s everything you’d expect from a classic Canadian Halloween event. There are all kinds of spooky activities on offer here including apple slingshots, pumpkin decorating games, spooky (but not scary) live performances on stage, a creepy creature exhibit, and the star of the show - an incredibly fun haunted maze. The Howling Hootenanny runs from the 20th to the 28th of October and children under 5 receive free admission (paid tickets range from $11 to $15).

Haunted High ParkColborne Lodge – 11 Colborne Lodge DriveThis is one of the scarier events on this list, and as such, it shouldn’t be attended by children under the age of 13 (and teenagers need to be accompanied by an adult), but if you like life on the scary side – this is an event you should seriously consider attending.

Throughout the evening you’ll learn about funeral traditions from the 19th century in the spooky candlelit atmosphere of Toronto’s historic Colborne Lodge. The highlight of the event is undoubtedly the “real” Victorian séance that’s performed live in front of visitors by Eldritch Theatre’s Doc Wuthergloom – it’s not for the faint-hearted! Haunted High Park runs from the 20th of October through to the 28th, tickets cost $32.50 and are available online or at the door.

Legends Of HorrorCasa Loma - 1 Austin TerraceToronto’s historic castle Casa Loma is host to one of the most popular Canadian Halloween events of 2018. The majority of the building is transformed into one of the best haunted houses in the country that has an authenticity to it that’s hard to find elsewhere. The event involves you taking a self-guided stroll around the castle grounds and gardens while exploring tunnels and spooky dark rooms (many of which have never been open to the public before).

The walking trail takes around 1 hour and is best enjoyed in full costume (for both you and the kids) to get the full experience. Along the trail, you’ll be greeted (and scared) by several famous characters from horror movies played by enthusiastic actors and actresses that perfectly walk the line between scary and fun.

Legends Of Horror runs from October 29th through to October 31st and if possible, it’s a good idea to book your tickets in advance.

Toronto is a vibrant metropolis that has over 2.8 million people calling it home – and there’s something for everyone to enjoy here, regardless of your tastes. While the big tourist attractions get the most attention and visitation, there’s a whole world of little-known things to do and places to see that you can easily miss if you don’t know about them.

With that in mind, today we’re going to share a little bit of local knowledge and tell you about a few of the most interesting and unusual things you can do on your next visit to Toronto. Let’s get started.

The Monkey’s Paw(1229 Dundas St. W)The Monkey’s Paw is a bookstore like no other, it was named after a horror story written by W.W Jacobs and focuses on the unique, the unusual, and the downright bizarre.

There are 4 sections to the store, the beautiful, the macabre, the absurd, and the arcane – in each of which you’ll find books that will leave you with more questions than answers.

The star of the show here is the Bibliomat, which will dispense a random book when you insert a token (which can be purchased for $3 at the counter). The books inside are as strange as the books on the shelves, and they’re great conversation starters to place on your coffee table – if you get lucky.​

The Half House (54 1/2 St. Patrick St)As the name suggests, The Half House is literally half of a terraced house that has been cut right down the middle. Apparently, the owners of The Half House were reluctant to sell their property, at the same time the owners of the connected property next door needed to demolish the house they owned to create space for an adjacent lot.

It was discovered that an interior wall that separated these two properties was load bearing, which meant partial demolition with possible. With almost surgical precision, one half of the house was demolished while leaving the remaining half intact.

It’s only going to pique your interest for a few minutes, but if you’re nearby – it’s well worth checking out.

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library (120 St George St)This library contains a treasure trove of old, historical, and notable books that are mainly part of the University of Toronto’s collection. Any visitor can request to see and even handle the books – some of which are quite special.

You can take a look at things like Shakespeare’s first folio, genuine annotations made by Charles Darwin from his research on the Galapagos islands, and there are even a few Egyptian manuscripts that date back almost 2300 years here too.

Winter Garden Theatre(189 Yonge St)This is probably the most well-known attraction, but it’s also one of the most unique. The Winter Garden Theatre is the world’s last functioning Edwardian double-decker theatre.

Most people find the upper theatre to be the most impressive, and it has been decorated in a way that tries to bring the great outdoors inside the theatre. It’s predominantly white and has countless stunning murals painted on the walls of trees, plants, animals, and other fantasy wonderland style depictions.

The star of the show is undoubtedly the otherworldly ceiling that has been intertwined with over 5000 beech branches. The sight of the leaves that hang down from these branches is something that has to be experienced in person to be fully appreciated.

There are tours available here on Saturdays and Thursdays, but we recommend you go and see a show here instead if you want to get the full experience.